Milliken Oil Drop Problem anyone? .

  • Thread starter Thread starter shikagami
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Drop Oil
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on solving the Milliken oil drop problem using experimental data to calculate the charge of an electron. The participant utilized the formula q=mg/E, where they first calculated the electric field (E) using the voltage and plate separation. After converting units and averaging the electric fields, they determined the mass of the oil drop and ultimately calculated the charge to be 2.706 x 10^-8 coulombs. The methodology and calculations presented are accurate and follow the principles of electrostatics.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of electrostatics and the Milliken oil drop experiment
  • Knowledge of unit conversions, particularly between microns and meters
  • Familiarity with the concepts of electric field (E) and gravitational force (mg)
  • Proficiency in basic algebra and physics equations
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the principles of the Milliken oil drop experiment in detail
  • Learn about the calculation of electric fields in various configurations
  • Explore the significance of charge quantization in physics
  • Study advanced applications of electrostatics in modern technology
USEFUL FOR

Physics students, educators, and anyone interested in experimental physics and electrostatics will benefit from this discussion.

shikagami
Messages
42
Reaction score
0
Can some one help me with this Milliken oil drop problem.

Data from a Milliken oil drop experiment are given below. Calculate the value of the charge on an electron from this data:

Voltage needed to suspend drop (V) Drop diameter (microns)
103------ 1.1
44.7----- 1.2
127------ 1.6
175------ 1.5
11.3----- 0.9

Given:
Plate separation: 0.5cm
Density of oil: 0.95 g/mL
Gravitational constant: 9.80 m/s^2

Ok... this is what I did: q=mg/E
1. I calculated for electric field first since: E= kV/m
2. One microns is equal to 10^-6 m
3. I changed volts into kV.
4. I took the average of all 5 of the electric fields and got 67896.71718 kV/m
5. Now I solved for the mass by cubing the plate separation and canceled it with the mL... to get grams then I changed grams into kilograms to get 1.1875 x 10^-4 kg.
6. And finally I plug everything back into the equation: q=mg/E and get the answer of 2.706 x 10^-8 coulombs.

Please tell me if I did it right.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
No one wants to try?
 

Similar threads

Replies
12
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
4K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Replies
1
Views
3K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
6K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
6K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 26 ·
Replies
26
Views
3K